Ivana Giuntoli
Chef Ivana was born and raised in Genova, a medieval port town on the northwestern coast of Italy. Her family came from Liguria, Piedmont and Tuscany, and it was from these diverse culinary regions that her cooking was nurtured. Her grandparents were owners and chefs-on-call of a twenty-four hour restaurant near Asti, the only one that existed at the turn of the 20th century. Her grandfather’s brother Frank Musso came to America where he founded and was chef of Musso and Frank in Hollywood, California. Her uncle on her mother’s side, also named Frank Musso, left Italy as well and in the 1950s opened Frank Musso Italian Cuisine in Las Vegas, where he pioneered northern Italian cooking and fed Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack. This family tradition and passion for food continued with Chef Ivana. As a girl she hunted for truffles with her grandfather and his dog, savored the aromas of her nonna's and mamma's creations, assisting them even before she could see over the edge of the table. As a teenager Chef Ivana continued to be involved with cooking since her mother was the food and event planner for an Italian society in New Jersey. After a long and successful career working on Wall Street, she decided to stay home and take care of her son, and she returned to her eternal passion, food. She worked as the chef for Michael O'Keefe the owner of the River Cafe and Water Club at his restaurant Grand Central Café, developed a line of condiments, preserves, jams, chutneys, pasta sauces and desserts, and currently plans and cooks dinners in private homes Chef Ivana loves the food experience from the market to the table. With its sensual touch and heavenly aromas, she thinks of food as her birthright, her rejuvenanceand her salvation.
Chef's Recipes :
Bacala in UmidoSardine Fritte
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